The Lost Boy Of Ealdor
by the-blue-knight-of-shadows
Summary: Merlin, a young boy from Ealdor has gotten lost in the woods of Camelot and Prince Arthur will help him get back home. / translation from El Niño Perdido de Ealdor by lilaclily00
1. I was distracted

_N/A: So here it is, as I promised, the first chapter of The Lost Boy Of Ealdor. Translation for this chapter belongs to my (beautiful) beta reader_ _ **lilaclily00**_ _whose helped me stay here and finish this journey. The next six chapters are available in spanish but will soon be translated to english (which is not my native tounge by the way); without more delay, here it is and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Constructive comments/reviews are always welcomed. Thanks for reading! –BKS._

They looked at each other. Their eyes found each other for the first time in this version of reality.

His eyes were blue like the heavens. His hair was yellow like the sun, and his skin so soft and clean, it beckoned to be caressed.

"Are you lost?" the blond boy asked Merlin, who gawked at him as if he were an angel.

Merlin stayed silent as he appreciated the luxurious clothing of this evidently city-born citizen. Perhaps everyone in Camelot dressed so elegantly? It must be quite a wealthy city, nothing like his little village Ealdor.

' _Mother,'_ he thought, _'where have you gone?'_

The boy huffed. "Do you not know who you are speaking to? Or are you deaf? I asked if you are lost."

"Uh..." The black-haired boy cleared his throat so that it wouldn't sound as piping high as it usually did . "Yes, I lost sight of my mother as she was buying fabrics, and I ran here." He lifted his arms, motioning to the giant trees surrounding the two boys.

"These are my father's lands. Where do you hail from, villager?"

" _Royalty must be treated with respect,"_ his beloved mother told him once, _"so if a member of the royal family speaks to you, you must kneel. Perish the thought of the terrible things they may do if you do not respect them!"_

Immediately, Merlin collapsed his right leg to touch his knee to the ground, and bowed his head deep enough to collide with his left knee.

' _Prince Arthur, of course! How stupid I was to not see it... Please do not cut off my head.'_

"I am from a small village on the outskirts, Ealdor, my lord," mumbled the sickly boy.

He heard the steps of the young prince come closer, shiny boots crunching on the leaf-laden ground. _'Surely, he has a thousand servants shining his boots daily.'_

"Stand. I will not punish you."

Merlin assented and got to his feet, trembling in the process. After regaining his posture, he stayed stiff and did not dare to breathe in front of the prince. He realized then, being so close, that they were almost the same height; Arthur was a smidge taller, likely due to the small heels of his boots.

"You appear to be very tense," said Arthur, a big, dazzling smile gracing his lips. "Relax, I will not harm you, nor will my father. Come with me; I will get a guard to escort you back home." He placed his gloved hand on Arthur's rigid shoulder, who finally relaxed (and became embarrassed) upon hearing these words.

"No, my lord, I am sure I can find my way home on my own."

"No no, do not question my decision." The prince replaced his hand with his full arm swung around the boy's shoulders. "You must be afraid to travel this forest all alone. My father would understand."

In the distance, Merlin could hear the clomps of trotting horses.

"Prince Arthur! Prince Arthur!" Merlin looked all around him, searching for the origin of the soft voice calling for the boy next to him. He searched for where Arthur's gaze lied over the dry leaves blanketing the forest ground, his blond hair sweeping side to side as he shook his head.

"Here I am, Sir Leon!" replied the prince.

' _Please do not hurt me!'_ Merlin turned down his head and shut his eyes tight as the horses circled about them. Two of their riders, perhaps knights from Camelot, dismounted.

Slowly, Merlin opened one eye, then the other.

"My lord, you must not wander off. You do not know of the dangers lying in this forest! Your father does not want to see you hurt," spoke the man donning red hair and dressed almost, but not quite, as exquisitely as the prince.

' _Sir Leon?'_

"Do not worry so much, Leon. Nothing will happen to me."

"And who is this?" said the other knight, whose name Merlin did not know, like the boy's presence offended him.

"He is my new friend," Arthur replied rather defensively against his contemptuous tone, stepping forward. "His name is..." He turned to the boy bowing his head once again. "What is your name?"

"Merlin, my lord," he replied quietly.

"You heard him. I want you two to escort us to the castle; he must return to his home in Ealdor."

"But my lord, he is only a peasant," began the red-haired knight, but Arthur interrupted him.

"If you will not help me, I will accompany him home alone."

' _Prince Arthur escorting me all the way to Ealdor?! What is he doing all this for?'_ Merlin asked himself, blinking hard in disbelief.

The two knights shared a look as Arthur waited for a response, his arms crossed impatiently.

"Well?" Arthur demanded, his tone making the hair on Merlin's neck raise.

Sir Leon opened his mouth to speak, then shut it. He opened it again to say, "We will travel towards the citadel, up to the castle, but I cannot predict what your father will do with him."

"I will convince him."

Just like that, Arthur mounted onto one of the horses alone, and Merlin was trying to process how he could reach that high up on such a large horse, when one of the knights pulled Merlin up by the waist, without warning, to place him onto their own horse.

"Steady yourself, lad."

Merlin nodded and settled into the horse's seat as the other knights guided their horses toward the citadel.

Arthur shot a complicit grin at his "new friend", the lost villager of Ealdor, and he returned it in kind.

' _All this is left is that King Uther does not cut off my head."_


	2. On the Outside

_N/A: Hi guys! Thank you so much for the feedback and favs I have recieved from the first chapter, it makes me so glad to see you liked it! Thanks to_ _ **fire**_ _._ _ **ash**_ _._ _ **rebirth**_ _and_ _ **kittysintheslamer**_ _for their reviews, no matter how small they make me really happy! I hope you all enjoy this small chapter as much as I did and remember to let me know anything you think I can improve! 'Till next time, enjoy!  
-BKS. _

Merlin could hear only screams around him in the grand castle of Camelot.

Deafening, terrifying screams that made his body shake from pressure and fear.

"Father!" yelled Arthur, who grit his teeth to keep himself from exploding at the white-haired man before him, who held absolute power over the castle and the kingdom. "He is but a child. Ealdor is not far away. One out of your _many_ men will not be missed for a one day trip!"

The Ealdor boy felt his body shaking, his knees about to give up and land him on the bitterly cold floor. He began to fidget, his eyes growing unfocused as his mind began to travel through memories of happier, calmer moments.

"Arthur! Do you fail to understand? I will not risk my men's lives for a _boy_."

The last word was pronounced with more hatred than necessary.

"If his mother is so concerned, she will fetch him tomorrow morning. Moreover, the sky is already black. Do you believe that I would send this boy and a knight off to Ealdor this late? Ridiculous!"

With that, the king opened his arms as if questioning the room.

Arthur's fists tightened and his jaw clenched harder as he fought back angry tears.

"I am begging you, Father-"

Young Arthur was suddenly interrupted by the voice of an old man who appeared out of the darkness which Merlin's gaze had been set on, bringing him back to reality.

" _He must think I was staring at him… how embarrassing,"_ he thought _._

The raggedy, old man neared himself to the king and grabbed his shoulder as if he was any other human being; as if they were lifelong friends. His long, white hair gleamed in the moonlight as it came through the picture window, and his flowing clothing with its dashes of color resembled elegant pajamas.

"Sire," voiced the man, "The young prince is right. One of your men escorting this child back home will not be needed for a day. If he goes at dawn, he will return by nightfall-"

The old man was interrupted by the king pinching his own nose with his gloved hand.

"My decision is not to be questioned, Gaius. Leon."

One of the knights, a redhead, took a step forward.

"Take this boy outside the castle. I do not want him anywhere near here."

Arthur clenched his fists so hard that Merlin thought that he would rip his leather gloves.

The prince mumbled something under his breath so fast that Merlin couldn't understand it at all, especially not after his frantic brain had finally processed what had just occurred.

' _The king did not understand."_

Merlin's tears started to run down his face, tracing thin lines in the dirt on his cheeks.

" _I will not return home, Mother… Mother, please forgive me… Don't leave me!_ "

While a couple of guards took the young, lost boy by the arms and dragged him outside the castle, Merlin could hear the young prince yelling back at his father, the king's voice overpowering his with his own shouts.

Everything had become very confusing.

How was it that he had lost sight of his mother? Merlin was trying to remember how he had gotten distracted on the day in which his fate had taken such an unexpected twist.

"His eyes," he mumbled as he followed the guards that were to take him outside. The image of Arthur's eyes was such a clear and neat one that it looked like the work of a famous italian painter.

The market was crowded with people going from one place to another. Two guards with identical uniforms stood beside a young prince, whose eyes glimmered blue as sapphires, and whose blonde, messy hair, sweeping side to side with the wind, shined like the sun itself.

Merlin then understood the possible desperation of the prince to take him safely back home; a feeling that perhaps came about from trying to amend what he thought had been his mistake.

But what mistake other than for Arthur to have the most wonderfully blue eyes that Merlin had ever seen?

It was Merlin's fault to lose himself in those eyes, his and no one else's to bear.

The guards took him all the way to the gigantic iron doors outside the citadel.

Merlin looked back as the doors rumbled and screeched closed.

He stood there, alone, with tears in his eyes.

The cold wind brushed against the nape of his neck, and it stirred through the leaves to softly sing him a lullaby. He huddled into his brown leather jacket, staring off into the dark night.

The moon illuminated a path he couldn't see the end of.

As preposterous as it may have sounded, Merlin couldn't help but mentally cry out for the Prince of Camelot to rescue him from the threatening night.

Him, the poor peasant of Ealdor that got lost in his blue eyes and golden hair.


	3. No Turning Back

_**N/A: I somehow managed to upload this althought I am feeling a little under the weather, I apologize for any typos you might find here but I hope you do not. Thanks again to my amazing beta and friend Lilly whom I love dearly. I hope you enjoy this short chapter ( a little longer tan the original) and will see you next time. You can now find me in Wattpad as the blueknightofshadows where I will be uploading everything you can find here and original writing I am working on. Thank you!**_

The young prince Arthur looked outside his window with pure worry and anguish. Why was he so worried about that poor village boy? It wasn't his fault that he had stared so dreamily and longingly into his eyes... nor that Arthur himself had done the same thing as if they were some teenagers in love.

No... it wasn't his fault. But then the question popped up in his head yet again. _Why?_

His thoughts were interrupted by the knocking on the door, quiet yet firm.

"Enter," answered the Prince, quiet and serious.

"Arthur, sire?" asked Gaius, popping his head through the door. That old Court doctor was the only person Arthur actually trusted within the castle filled with oblivious servants.

"Yes, Gaius. Please come in." Arthur crossed his arms over his heavily-breathing chest.

"I wish not to disturb your sleep, sire," Gaius answered timidly while entering a room barely illuminated by some candles Arthur himself had turned on.

"No, not at all. Is there something the matter?"

"Sire, with all due respect..." The old man cleared his throat and got closer to the table separating the both of them. "Are you not worried about that poor Merlin boy's destiny? I do not believe it to be wise to let him... go on his own out there."

Arthur held his breath for a second, almost immobile, before letting out a long sigh and dropping his shoulders a little. "Yes, of course I worry, but what is there for me to do against my father's will?

The old man leaned over the table and whispered, "Young Arthur, sire... I think you must go look for this young boy. He must be just outside the citadel. The woods, as we well know, are very dangerous this late at night."

Arthur turned his face towards the window, contemplating the odds while the moon up high illuminated the huts.

Although he felt a little guilty, that wasn't quite all he felt...

Something like worry, like a sense of responsibility.

Whether it was his fault or not, it just wasn't right to leave this boy out there, alone and unarmed with no idea where to go.

"Meet me at the doors of the citadel," said Arthur as he exited the room with his red hoodie, leaving words hanging from the doctor's mouth.

Sneaking into the armory was not easy: Take a turn left, wait for the guards to pass by and head straight, take a right before the other guards see you, and be wary of the maids going around asking loudly, "Oh, what are you doing up, young man? Looking for a midnight snack, perhaps? Come on, off to bed!" He finally made it, though, and once he got his sword and his hauberk (made just for him) he began his journey towards the citadel doors, twisting around straw carts and the lonely stands at the farmer's market in which their eyes had met just that afternoon.

He put his red coat on and pulled the cowl down as much as he could to hide his face from any tall person.

The little young prince held tightly onto the sword handle when he heard the guards patrolling nearby, from who he fortunately passed by unnoticed.

A knot in his throat sat tightly as shivers ran up and down his spine. If his father, the king, were to know about this, he could not begin to imagine how it would end for him. And Gaius. He was much more afraid for the doctor's fate than his own.

The more he sneaked through the city, the more afraid he was. He was able to exhale and relax a little when he saw Gaius at the other end of the road, beside the big doors that kept the woods and all that it held at bay.

He straightened his back and gave the doctor a small greeting with his head; placed his hand in the cold metallic handle and sighed.

He knew from now on there was no turning back. Yes, he could still turn his back on this and go to bed, safe and sound in the castle, but _could_ he? Could Arthur Pendragon rest in peace knowing he left this kid out there, probably to his death? _Him_? No.

That kid was his responsibility, his duty, now, and he would find him safe and take him back home, whatever it took.

He looked at Gaius, who returned the look and nodded with his head as if giving the order to attack someone to death.

Arthur pushed the doors against the wind and towards the woods with both hands. A gust of wind stroke him and Gaius, pushing their bodies back. The wind was particularly strong tonight, certainly not a regular event this time of the year.

As the wind stroke Arthur, a thought did with equal force, as sudden as it was terrifying for his little body: Someone had to stay behind, for the doors could not be opened or closed from the outside, and leaving them open would alert the guards.

He turned to Gaius and saw the old man smiling. Of course someone had to stay behind! Was he expecting the old man to follow him into the woods and traveled a day by foot and back with them? What a silly thought! Although, Arthur did long for him to come. Or anyone, for that matter.

"Arthur, sire, I do not doubt you will find him and take him back home safely. If I were to go with you I'd-

Gaius left the sentence in the air as a white gloved hand rose in front of his nose.

"Do not speak any further, Gaius. Make sure my father does not find out until _at least_ sunset, it would be a terrible problem. I doubt he will forgive me." _Or you,_ he thought.

With that said, he turned his back to the old man and took a few steps into the woods, without fully grasping the magnitude of the problem he was getting into.

"There is no turning back now," he said to himself (and whomever could hear) as the doors behind him closed thunderously, hoping it wasn't too noisy to alert the guards.

He took his sword handle tightly as he entered an uncertain path, disturbed by the fierce wind. He could only hope the boy with dark black hair and beautifully blue eyes had found refuge in a safe place from the evils that stalked the woods.


End file.
